Heywire winner Todd Hayes, Eddington, VIC.

The sun was shining through the window, lighting the floor as I lowered my head to hide my emotion.

The effect on the family was quite horrendous, everyone knew my mother had this illness.

The community really tried to help as much as they could. Cooked meals were coming in left, right and centre, and we made a sign that on one side that says "Resting Please Try Later," while on the other side it says "Family Only," that pretty much explains itself.

The help from the community is welcomed but it sometimes can be overwhelming. I think this support is a rural thing as everyone knows her, and knows our family.

So yeah... the day went from a normal day then got flipped right upside down and got shook around. It's the cycle of life.

All Mum's family have been up and visited, some are staying to provide support for my sister and I.

Mum's friends are a barrel of laughs, I get excited when a car pulls in, because that means food. Mum's friend's food is amazing, but that excitement is soon lost as a goodbye is said, so we wait to see what the new day brings.

When Mum passes it will be a sad time for my sister and me.

In our plans for the future, my sister will head off to the Barossa to live with one of my Aunties and Uncles over there. Mum, Celeste and I discussed these plans with the whole family.

Having two aunts and uncles over there will provide a great foundation and family values for her.

Myself, I will be heading to a small town called Eddingtion, which is located near Bendigo in central Victoria, to live with my aunty and uncle on their farm. Being with family will help because it will give us a family base.

Back here in Corowa I'm part of the NSW Rural Fire Service as a volunteer and I love it to bits.

I like to help people and I feel this is a great way to give back to the community which has given me and helped me so much.

When Mum does pass I plan to join the CFA in Eddingtion, to hopefully feel the same connection with the community.

After a year with my Aunty and Uncle on the farm I plan to move to Melbourne and join the MFB. Mum is quite happy with these plans and hopes that I succeed.

I wrote this about my mum because she is a much loved person in my community and will live on in our hearts and minds forever.

Since I started writing this story mum passed away. It was on the 19th of August.

Before this happened I showed her a draft of this story and she loved it. It made her smile which was very good to see because she was in a lot of pain.

Seeing mum smile made me very pleased and the family was joyful because it was very hard for them to see her like that.

Before Mum passed we discussed things that I would remember her by.

One of these things was an eagle because we saw one once when we went camping. Another was one of those pimple looking things on the trees because we found one day and a wink because Mum and I used to wink quite a lot.

I wrote this because I wanted everyone to know what a special lady my mother was and how much she meant to me and the community.